Young children are capable of developing indelible bonds to where they lived and played. Neighborhoods are explored as they seek out their favorite places. These special places, sometimes secret and sometimes shared with friends, help create strong attachment to a place and the other children who shared them.
My next book is about these invisible threads. Interviews with adults who grew up together in a lake community will examine the strength and impact of these bonds to both place and each other. It will also investigate the current trends of organized play and the lure of technology. What is their impact on the process of growing up? Do strong bonds to place and those who lived there still occur and if not, what are the possible implications for our society?
